Betting Preview for Nonito Donaire vs. Emmanuel Rodriguez – Odds, Predictions, and Best Bets (December 19, 2020)

The vacant WBC bantamweight title is on the line in a scrap between Filipino legend Nonito Donaire and former IBF champ Emmanuel Rodriguez.

Donaire, who turned 38 in November, is set to contest the 47th professional bout of his career. His opponent, Rodriguez, is ten years his junior with 20 fights under his belt.

I’m going to hit you with the latest odds for Donaire vs. Rodriguez and spend a little time looking over the best bets for the fight. I’ll then close out with some additional information on the fight, focusing on how the bout might be won.

But first, I think it’s best to get a clear picture of who wins between Donaire and Rodriguez. From there, we’ll work our way through the rest.

Whatever they’re putting in the water in the Philippines, it’s clearly working.

Donaire, like Manny Pacquiao, is still going strong despite being surrounded by young killers in the fight game. With a win against Rodriguez, he will win yet another title in a career that has seen him sweep up belts in four separate weight classes.

I’ve identified a weakness in Rodriguez’s game that Donaire will capitalize on. But let’s move on to the odds and best bets before I dig into that.

I’ve done a little bit of fishing today and found Donaire’s odds to beat Rodriguez come in at a pretty healthy -137 with the top boxing betting apps.

Donaire is the older man, but what a turnaround in perception the boxing community showed following his fight of the year contender with Japanese pound-for-pound great Naoya Inoue. Not only did Donaire show that he still has it, but he shattered the face of Inoue in a toe-to-toe war in the World Boxing Super Series: bantamweight final in 2019.

Rodriguez, who was battered by Inoue in the semi-final round of the same tournament, will have his work cut out with the Filipino legend.

?️ “I was scared for my life going into the ring for the first time as a kid!”

? 4-time World Champion & WBSS Finalist @filipinoflash joins @SauerlandBros for Ep.5 of the ‘Kalle’s WBSS Hangouts’ podcast! ?

? Listen here: https://t.co/pGeDOCa9I7#WBSSHangouts ? #AliTrophy pic.twitter.com/TpWkHEfUpM

— World Boxing Super Series (@WBSuperSeries) December 4, 2020

You can get odds of +100 on Rodriguez beating Donaire.

Does he have a chance? Absolutely. The guy has only ever lost to Inoue and also holds a split-decision win over Australia’s solid Jason Moloney.

Here’s what I’m thinking for bets to place on Donaire vs. Rodriguez.

Donaire to win is the first bet to consider in this fight.

Although I like the KO/TKO, this bet is basically playing it safe. Rodriguez is no slouch and could force Donaire into some early adjustments if he can keep the pressure while staying out of range of that big left hand.

Donaire to win by KO/TKO is the next bet to look at.

Now, the Donaire vs. Rodriguez props have not been released at the time of writing, but I expect some solid odds for this bet when they are.

The “Filipino Flash” has considerable power at this weight and is a huge threat with his super-dangerous left hook.

Remember, Inoue had a lot of success with the left hook against Rodriguez. He was mixing up his shots with straight rights behind a busy jab before circling left to set up that big shot.

This punch is Donaire’s dynamite, and I can see it being the showstopper.

Donaire to win between Rounds 4 and 6 will get you big odds.

I actually fancy the older man to stop Rodriguez similarly to how he stopped Ryan Burnett in the 4th round of their contest in 2018 and Stephon Young in the 6th of their 2019 encounter.

If this bet comes in, I’ll be very happy with the most specific of my predictions for Donaire vs. Rodriguez.

Some of us completely wrote Nonito Donaire in his fight against Naoya Inoue in 2019.

Personally, I was so impressed with how he dealt with a fighter that is one of the scariest men on the planet, pound for pound. He stood toe-to-toe with Inoue, using his superior experience to ask questions of the Japanese superstar that he had never been in a position to have to answer.

On the one hand, that is the fight that has got him here. On the other, how much of himself did he leave in the ring that night?

I believe Donaire will be, pretty much, the same fighter that exited the ropes of the Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, with the silver medal. And that’s no good news for Rodriguez.

Mentally, Donaire has the advantage in this fight. That’s only going to serve him well once the first bell rings. Especially as Rodriguez’s style is one that he faced before and one that he has figured out on countless occasions over the years.

You cannot write Rodriguez off in this bout. But the one punch that he most susceptible to happens to be the very same shot that Donaire is synonymous with.

I’m predicting a 4th round KO/TKO for Nonito Donaire against Manny Rodriguez.

On Saturday, December 19, the Mohegan Sun Arena in Montville, Connecticut, hosts an awesome WBC bantamweight title fight between Nonito Donaire and Emmanuel Rodriguez.

I only see it ending one way. Donaire by stoppage.

But there is another fight on the night between Canelo and Callum Smith that should also lead to a stoppage. You can get my predictions and pick for that fight, plus an early look at Garcia vs. Campbell, below.

Enjoy the fights!